THE NIGHTTIME PANIC😱 (this story has a happy ending)

By Natalie Light

Before we start this story here is a little background on our loveable Irish Wolfhound Drax. Drax, previously called Courage came into our lives around fives years ago when myself and Jason rescued him. Very little is know about Drax's history, only that he was in rescue for just over a week and was previously in a kennel environment in Ireland. He is named after a strong but loveable gentle Marvel character who also had a difficult past. We have been helping Drax build his confidence ever since.

We had a bit of a trauma this morning around 3am and although it could have been a lot worse, I thought I’d share with you all to show just how far Drax has come.

Somehow Drax managed to get his back leg twisted and caught down the side of his raised bed and got stuck. I have no idea how, it’s never happened before and I still can’t figure out how on earth he managed to get himself into such a pickle. In another life, he would have probably just laid there, accepting his fate that he was stuck forever 🥺 But he didn’t this morning, he cried for help.

A pathetic, whiney, panicked “HALP ME” that alerted us (and all the dogs) and created absolute carnage in our previously quiet and tranquil household. The dogs (and us! 😜) make noises through the night - snoring, sighing, stretching, having a drink, switching slumber spots and talking/yipping along to our dreams. These generally go unnoticed and even the resident fox 🦊 having a yowl in the garden or Mr & Mrs owl 🦉 shouting love songs to each other don’t elicit much of a response to disturb our slumber. But Drax’s “HALP ME” was different. It made the dogs spring to life and rush to his room to investigate what the big oaf had done and why he was sounding particularly pathetic at such a ridiculous time in the morning.

What we were faced with was a very sad looking Wolf face with his back leg in a position that was about as unnatural as they come. We thought the worst and couldn’t understand how he hadn’t broken his leg or dislocated his hip with the position his foot was in relation to the rest of him 😳 But his breathing rate was normal, his reflexes on his foot were good when I squeezed it and his pads weren’t cold so I was pretty sure he’d only just done it by performing some kind of double axel dismount from his usual sleep position of upside-down, legs akimbo 😜 Let me tell you this, trying to lift a wolf as a dead weight with his leg stuck under him by hoofing up his XXXL raised bed to try and flip him sideways . . . At 3 in the morning . . . In your pants . . . IS NOT EASY! But we did it and the beast was freed. He hopped up, immediately put weight on his leg (the one I previously thought must be mangled beyond all repair) and trotted outside to shake it off. I watched him to make sure he was moving ok and everything seemed fine so I set his bed back up and went to get something yummy for everyone to help them all settle and get back to sleep.

Now all of that sounds a bit traumatic right?! Yes it was 😬 But here’s the best part. The most wonderful thing about the whole ordeal and the important message to remember . . . DRAX CAME STRAIGHT BACK IN FROM THE GARDEN AND GOT BACK ON HIS BED. No reluctance. No hesitation. No avoidance. No danger. Something scary happened, he asked for help, he got it and he shook it off and returned to normal. What a bloody superstar and what a milestone 🥰

Obviously we would NEVER set up a situation even remotely close to the pickle Drax got himself into in order to ‘test’ how resilient they are, but we can certainly celebrate and cheerlead when life tests it for us. Today we’ll be making sure he’s comfortable, giving lots of massages and of course delivering lots of snacks to that adorable face. Have a lovely weekend everyone! 🥰 (and if you happen to sleep upside down, just be careful eh?! 😜)